Articles · Course guide
Sea Island Seaside Course Guide: Stats, Hole-by-Hole Scoring and What Wins
By Rick Gehman · Published · 3 min read
Quick answer
Sea Island Seaside is a 7,005-yard, par-70 Tom Fazio design on the Georgia coast, with Bermudagrass throughout. It hosts The RSM Classic alongside the Plantation Course. Its two par 5s play 0.89 strokes under par between them, and no single skill decides it: putting, three-putt avoidance and driving accuracy all rank in the upper half of PGA Tour courses.
Key takeaways
- Par 70 at 7,005 yards, with just two par 5s that play 0.89 strokes under par between them.
- The par-5 15th is the easiest hole on the course, at 0.65 strokes under par with 64% of the field making birdie or better.
- No single stat dominates: putts per round ranks 17th of 49 courses in how closely it lines up with results, three-putt avoidance 18th and driving accuracy 19th.
- Driving distance matters less than at most courses, ranking 43rd of 49.
- Course history is a weak signal: Sea Island ranks 73rd of 89 courses in how well past results carry over.
Sea Island Seaside at a glance
- Location
- Saint Simons Island, Georgia, USA
- Architect
- Tom Fazio (opened 1998)
- Par
- 70 (four par 3s, 14 par 4s, two par 5s)
- Yardage
- 7,005 yards
- Grasses
- Bermudagrass (greens, fairways, rough)
- Also used
- Sea Island GC (Plantation Course)
- PGA Tour event
- The RSM Classic (host course)
- Scoring average
- 68.97 (2021), 68.99 (2022), 67.58 (2023), 70.02 (2024), 67.78 (2025)
What wins at Sea Island Seaside
No single skill stands out here. Putts per round ranks 17th of 49 PGA Tour courses in how closely it lines up with results, three-putt avoidance ranks 18th and driving accuracy 19th. All three sit in the upper half, well short of the courses where one skill decides it.
Driving distance matters less than at most courses: Sea Island ranks 43rd of 49 in how closely distance lines up with results. At 7,005 yards with only two par 5s, length isn't much of an edge.
Birdie average ranks 25th of 49, and scrambling and bogey avoidance both rank 31st. The two par 5s are the best scoring chances, playing 0.89 strokes under par between them.
Hole-by-hole scoring
The 15th is the easiest hole on the course: a 565-yard par 5 that plays 0.65 strokes under par, with 64% of the field making birdie or better and 3% making bogey or worse. The other par 5, the 582-yard 7th, plays 0.24 under. The hardest hole is the 204-yard par-3 third, at 0.11 over par with 19% of the field making bogey or worse, followed by the 442-yard par-4 14th at 0.10 over.
| Hole | Par | Yards | Avg. to par | Birdie or better | Bogey or worse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 417 | −0.04 | 17.9% | 13.1% |
| 2 | 4 | 415 | +0.05 | 16.2% | 18.3% |
| 3 | 3 | 204 | +0.11 | 9.6% | 18.7% |
| 4 | 4 | 429 | +0.06 | 16.3% | 19.1% |
| 5 | 4 | 409 | −0.17 | 28.0% | 8.6% |
| 6 | 3 | 179 | −0.10 | 18.4% | 8.6% |
| 7 | 5 | 582 | −0.24 | 37.9% | 11.4% |
| 8 | 4 | 368 | −0.19 | 27.7% | 8.2% |
| 9 | 4 | 452 | −0.08 | 17.9% | 9.4% |
| 10 | 4 | 418 | +0.05 | 15.1% | 17.5% |
| 11 | 4 | 425 | −0.09 | 21.7% | 11.3% |
| 12 | 3 | 223 | +0.03 | 10.5% | 13.0% |
| 13 | 4 | 408 | −0.09 | 22.6% | 11.6% |
| 14 | 4 | 442 | +0.10 | 12.2% | 19.9% |
| 15 | 5 | 565 | −0.65 | 63.9% | 3.3% |
| 16 | 4 | 407 | −0.04 | 21.9% | 13.6% |
| 17 | 3 | 192 | −0.05 | 16.2% | 11.1% |
| 18 | 4 | 470 | −0.03 | 15.3% | 11.4% |
Past winners at Sea Island Seaside
| Year | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sami Valimaki | −23 |
| 2024 | Maverick McNealy | −16 |
| 2023 | Ludvig Åberg | −29 |
| 2022 | Adam Svensson | −19 |
| 2021 | Talor Gooch | −22 |
| 2020 | Robert Streb | −19 |
| 2019 | Tyler Duncan | −19 |
| 2018 | Charles Howell III | −19 |
| 2017 | Austin Cook | −21 |
| 2016 | Mackenzie Hughes | −17 |
| 2015 | Kevin Kisner | −22 |
| 2014 | Robert Streb | −14 |
Best course history at Sea Island Seaside
Course history is not a strong predictor here. Sea Island ranks 73rd of 89 courses in how well a player's past results carry over to the next year, so a strong record is a tiebreaker at most.
These are the best performers at Sea Island Seaside by strokes gained per round, minimum eight rounds:
- Mackenzie Hughes: +2.47 per round, 18 rounds
- Michael Thorbjornsen: +2.42 per round, 8 rounds
- Ludvig Åberg: +2.18 per round, 10 rounds
- Ben Griffin: +1.90 per round, 12 rounds
- Eric Cole: +1.87 per round, 16 rounds
- Russell Henley: +1.76 per round, 8 rounds
- Seamus Power: +1.74 per round, 13 rounds
- Justin Rose: +1.62 per round, 8 rounds
Frequently asked questions
What is the par and yardage at Sea Island Seaside?
Sea Island Seaside plays as a par 70 at 7,005 yards for The RSM Classic, with four par 3s, 14 par 4s and two par 5s.
Who designed Sea Island Seaside?
Tom Fazio. Sea Island Resort (Seaside) in Saint Simons Island, Georgia opened in 1998.
What is the hardest hole at Sea Island Seaside?
The 204-yard par-3 third. It has played 0.11 strokes over par, with only 10% of the field making birdie or better and 19% making bogey or worse.
What is the easiest hole at Sea Island Seaside?
The 565-yard par-5 15th. It plays 0.65 strokes under par, with 64% of the field making birdie or better and only 3% making bogey or worse.
Does course history matter at Sea Island Seaside?
Not much. Sea Island ranks 73rd of 89 courses in how well past results carry over, one of the weakest links on the PGA Tour.